Boulevard Dry Stout

Brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company
Style: Dry Stout
Kansas City, Missouri USA

On tap, Crescent Moon Ale House, Omaha. Beautiful beer in the glass, this is exactly what a stout should look like: opaque black, stiff tan head that retains well and laces well, with amazing sub-surface bubble action on the side of the glass. The aroma was weak, vaguely roasty. "Delicate" is an appropriate word in the description; not only does the beer have stages of flavor, but they appear perfectly balanced that the transitions are smooth. Refreshingly light yet noticable dark cherry rides a creamy medium body and a soft but intense-enough bitter in the beginning; this morphs to a nicely sweet maltiness in the middle with bready notes that still retains a light and medium bodied refreshing mouthfeel. The finish starts in an intensifying of bitter hops that aren’t at all acrid or metalic; the transition from the medium and wet mouthfeel to the superbly dry bitter finish is where the delicacy really shows. I agree with Nuffield that comparing this to bigger and bolder stout varieties will make it seem like it’s lacking, but it really does well what it sets out to do.

Here is a beer that I think deserves a bit more respect than it has received thus far. In a beer world crowded by imperial stouts, I think it is too easy to dismiss a drinkable, basic stout as dull or lacking complexity. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t satisfy, and in the "hedonistic" analysis often suggested for beer rating, this beer does that enough to justify at least a 3.4/3.5 average, not its current 3.18 average (April 2005). It pours solidly opaque black with an off-white head; the yeast pour from the secondary fermentation is a nice touch if you like that kind of thing. The aroma is chocolate with a hint of sourness; roasted flavors are also anticipated; classic stout. The palate, even from the bottle, strikes me as a brewpub kind of body--too much carbonation, though the tingle doesn’t seem to come only from the fizz but also from the dryness that leaps out at your palate, which is probably more accustomed to a sweet stout full of residual sugars. The smoke quality is the surprising dimension to the flavor, though it isn’t too aggressive and it gives the beer a long finish that makes you ponder. It isn’t complex--it is just a basic roast/chocolate beer, but the dry smoke makes it more interesting. Soften the palate, put it on cask, and send it to England, and you’d have English raters pleased with the subtle qualities of this session stout (like a Mauldons Black Adder), but to American palates and with this carbonation, it isn’t given enough of a chance.

Black color with a medium tan head that disintegrates fairly quickly. A hint of malt in the aroma. The taste is more smoky than I would expect in a stout. Slightly burnt roasts and chocolate as well.

Pours black, brown head no lacing. Aroma was week, roasted malts and chocolate. Flavor starts well with chocolate and coffee flavors...then goes down hill. A bit too thin and bitter finish and woody aftertaste.

Man i love this stuff probably better than guinness. I think boulevard knows what they are doing. It poured black and tasted like a good chocolate flavor. Did’nt have a lastling head but made up in flavor.

thin off white head black body. very subtle aroma of coffee. taste is chocolate and mabye smoked malts. has a thin dry mouthfeel. not bad for the price.

from the bottle. shared with flemdawg. poured darak brown, with a tan head. aromamalts, cocoa, molasses, black cherries, sugar. flavor, smoke, wood, roasted malts, I wish the flavor was a little more robust. chalky and dry mouth feel.

Dark brown, almost black body with a fast diminshing brown head that left oily lacing all down the glass. Roasted malts, some coffee, carmel, molasses, and cholcolate in the aroma. Weak taste by comparison to the aroma. Roasted malts, molasses and some wood came out in the taste. Tingly, thin watery feel. Not a good stout.